Music & Nightlife

City
Liveslogging the “Lunch Bus”

ECB and I just boarded Sound Transit’s Lunch Bus which will allegedly take us on a tour of the unbuilt light rail line, which opens next year.

The bus is fricking amazing. Each seat is roomy, has a reading light and CLIMATE CONTROL! It’s like an airplane.

There are about 30 people on the bus and a lot of grey hair. Our excellent tour guide just pointed out “some very large galvanized poles” on the side of the road and an old woman just screeched for him to “speak a little more slowly”.

Most of the people on this bus won’t be alive by the time the light rail is up and running.

12:05-

Facts about the train: during peak hours (6-9 am/3-6 pm) trains will run every six minutes.

On elevated sections of track, the trains will be moving at about 55mph. At ground level, the trains will go the city speed limit. Theoretically, a train could get a speedi

ST will use fare insectors to audit riders, a system which hasn’t worked out so well for the Sounder train system.

You can also take your bike on the train. Although ST hasn’t figured out where bikes will be stowed during rush hour.

12:13- important update: We’re going to the airport!!!!

12:20- The ST airport station looks awesome but is filled with some terrible public art. There’s a weird lightbulb/teardrop thing hanging from the ceiling. As ECB says: “why can’t public art ever be good?”

2:12- The bus stopped for lunch. Longest lunch ever. I think they had to blend up food for half the crowd.

We’re passing the entrance to the Beacon tunnel. Apparently ST named their giant drill machine the Emerald Mole.

Individualized climate control?! Don't get me wrong: I love first class travel -- when the traveler pays for it. But this idea that we would take a transit system that the rest of us are subsidizing at a rate of god-knowns-how-much per trip and just decide to pile on a bit more is... mind-boggling.